Name:
Introduction Paragraph Activity
Date:
The structure outlined in OOCE 3’s packet is:
Paragraph #1 Introduction
 Grabber
 Write two to three sentences summarizing Katz’ or Gates’ essay.
 Write two to three sentences summarizing The Other Wes Moore.
 Thesis statement evaluating how the essay applies to the book the Other Wes Moore – see above
1. Read the sample paragraph below written based on the “Inaugural address” of Barack Obama and
The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.
2. Underline/circle/identify and label the sentences above according to type.
Success and failure are like two sides on one coin; one has a 50/50 chance of getting either side. The
novel The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore and the “Inaugural Address” given by Barack Obama present vivid
illustrations of the socioeconomic, political, and ethical climate, in its entirety or in part, of America. Wes
Moore, a Rhode Scholar, a veteran, youth advocate, a business leader, and author, documents the cathartic
journey he experiences through a series of conversations with another Wes Moore, born a few miles from Wes
the scholar, but who traveled a different path, that of a criminal. Obama’s piece presents a journey too, not
that of a pair of men, but rather of a nation. The information presented in Obama’s inaugural address parallels
the development in lives of the two Wes Moore and provides an understanding of the circumstances that lead
their differing life decisions. The information Obama presents regarding the American country and its people,
provides valuable insight into the decisions and actions made by Wes Moore the criminal when he follows in
his brother’s footsteps into the drug trade and later when he uses violence to assert is power.
Name:
Thesis and Intro Paragraph
Date:
Topic:
Both Jon Katz and Henry Louis Gates illustrate, in different contexts, the experiences that epitomize the development of a man’s (men’s)
adolescence to adulthood. To what extent do you agree with, or disagree with their analysis of why the individuals in the essays act the way they
do in certain situations? Think about the two different life stories that are unfolding in the The Other Wes Moore. Which essay do you think
provides an argument that can be applied in some way to one (or both) of the Wes Moores in the book. In other words, which essay provides an
explanation that can help to explain or provide insight into some of the actions or decisions either Wes Moore takes?
Working thesis template:
________________________________________ provides insight into the decisions and actions made by ___________________________ when
(Wes Moore – or the other Wes Moore)
(Author)
______________________________________________________and__________________________________________________________.
(reason 1)
 Grabber – Write a simile about
an element of the topic: growth,
maturation, change, life, conflict,
fighting, etc.
SIMILE TEMPLATE
A _________ is as _________ as
(noun)
(adjective)
a _________ is to _________ .
(noun)
(noun)
Background Information –
situate the reader in the topic.
Introduce the topic of the paper.
Introduce title and authors and
briefly summarize writing pieces.
Thesis Statement -- BRIEFLY
evaluate how the essay applies
to the book the Other Wes
Moore
(reason 2)